Book review: Backbone Flute by Vladimir Mayakovsky

Book: Backbone Flute

Poetry of Vladimir Mayakovsky

Author: Vladimir Mayakovsky

Pages: 131

My Review and Thoughts:

Before I came across this I had no knowledge of this Poet.
This was another random poetry buy for me. This is a Russian Poet and his work
has been translated to English by Andrey Kneller. What is interesting about
this book is on the one page you get the work in the original language and on
the opposite page the work in English.

This book truly is a book that can change one’s idea of what
great poetry is about.

I have never experienced the amazing one of a kind control
that Vladimir has. He takes, a sentence and brings it to life in an emotional
roller coaster of changes within moods and emotional appeal. A word to him,
comes to life in vibrant colors of personal senses.

Mayakovsky created a living emotionally desired truth, that
lingered from page to mind and then into the heart, but most of all the soul.
Mayakovsky creates inside his poetry something so bold, so exploratory, that
the senses of the one reading, can't help but feel wasted, thoroughly excited,
and exhausted. His poetry is truly a unique journey that I have to say in all
honesty I am floored I had never heard of him or read any of his wonderful
works.

What makes him stand out is his unique and odd reality of
writing. Which I gather is the problem in translating most of his work because
he used a unique writing style only to him. His work is odd because he did
irregular line breaks while writing his poetry that most poets would never dare
to do. Sometimes rhyme and non-rhyme that came together in sync and then
non-sync. He blasted his work with massive metaphors and descriptions through
his personal imagery that made his poetry a one of kind in nature.

His writing gave such power to words. His words in a sense
bled. His senses became your senses. You were the actions, emotions, reactions
of his words. You become transfixed upon the poems. You became the lover of
words displayed in senses. You became the emotional bleeding. You became the
desire of colors throughout his writing.

Sadly, he was only 36 years old when he died. I can’t
imagine the work that he could have done if he had not killed himself. He truly
was a soul that knew writing. He was a soul that became words. He was a soul
that created emotionally charged poetry that will stand the test of time. In
his suicide note he wrote:

"And so they say – "the incident dissolved" /
the love boat smashed up / on the dreary routine. / I'm through with life / and
[we] should absolve / from mutual hurts, afflictions and spleen."

Would I Recommended: In a heartbeat. I can’t express enough
how important this book of poetry is and how important this poet was. Truly a
shame it took me this long to experience this master talent.

Would I Return to: In a heartbeat? I have already started
reading it a second time. His work is truly a one of a kind experience and I am
happy that I came across this book.